Taking Care Of Business

AUTO RACING

Non-racing Duties Keep Drivers On The Go

June 28, 2004|By George Diaz, Sentinel Staff Writer

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Mark Martin calls them "notches."

They are things that pop up on his agenda that have nothing to do with his passion for racing: promotional appearances for his sponsors, getting pulled away from his hauler to chat with the media, stopping by a suite for a quick autograph session.

Martin admits he isn't good at any of this. His focus never drifts far away from preparing as best he can for race days, and all that other stuff simply gets in the way.

June 17th is one of those "notch" days.

Martin's Cessna Citation lands at Detroit International shortly after Thursday noon, just minutes before fellow Ford driver Dale Jarrett lands with his private plane. They will share a limo ride to the "Proving Grounds" at Ford's Dearborn complex.

Martin and Jarrett own dealerships, and company engineers want to give them -- as well as the rest of the Ford family of NASCAR drivers -- the opportunity to sample a batch of new models for 2005.

Originally a reluctant partner, Martin warms up after taking a few laps with several models.

"I've never been as excited as I am this time about the 500 and the Freestyle," Martin said after riding in a Freestyle, a hybrid SUV. "They have done their homework. They've got it going on. The price point is right. You're getting a lot of car for your money here.

"I want one of each."

Martin has owned a dealership in his hometown of Batesville, Ark., since January, and it's important for him to sample the merchandise. The dealership is not a "notch." It's more about shaking hands with friends and acquaintances in his hometown, knowing they are race fans who want to buy cars.

"The Ford dealership -- it's what I want to do, so it's like a golf day," Martin said. "I don't count that phone call or going to cut the radio spot or whatever it is that we do with the dealership. It's the only thing I've ever had a passion for outside of racing."

Martin has been a Ford Racing man since 1988, when he hooked up with team owner Jack Roush. Martin's other significant sponsorship obligation is with Pfizer, the company that makes Viagra. On the starting grid every week, Martin drives the No. 6 Viagra Ford.

Make your joke now. Go ahead -- everybody else does.

Martin has received considerable training in explaining the benefits of the product, despite the occasional chuckle.

"We're talking about a mature society that understands that men's health is a serious issue," Martin said. "We're talking about a drug that has helped 20 million men with health problems. All kinds of stuff -- blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, you name it."

Promotional appearances are a necessity for drivers. They may not always like the time they spend at an appearance, but sponsorships drive the sport. It takes between $12 million and $15 million to run a competitive team in the Nextel Cup Series, and beyond the blur of visual images as the laps click by, sponsors want their drivers on Victory Lane getting in quick plugs on network TV.

His victory at Dover earlier this month ended a 73-race winless streak and eased some of the squeeze he is feeling to keep up with the Earnhardts, Gordons and Kenseths. And so as he prepares for the green flag at Michigan International Speedway, the pressure builds. Despite the victory and five top-10 finishes, Martin is in the second tier of drivers chasing a Top 10 group who will advance to the "Championship Chase" later in the season. Drivers left behind become inconsequential.

Martin spends a solitary Thursday night in his motor home, driven to each racing venue by Randy Triplett, his "personal assistant, butler, you name it," Triplett said. "It's kind of my deal to make him comfortable."

Triplett has been with Martin for five years and previously had a similar arrangement with Jeff Gordon. Triplett's numerous responsibilities include driving Martin from the motor home to the garage on a golf cart, fixing lunch and dinner and knowing when to engage in conversation and when to keep quiet.

Triplett's easygoing nature allows him to tend to Martin's logistical needs without getting in the way of business. And for a guy obsessively programmed like Martin, it's all about business.

"He's not a chatty guy," said Kevin Woods, who handles media relations for Martin. "When he's here, he flips the switch."

Beyond qualifying on Friday, Martin's day hardly would make for scintillating footage for a PBS documentary. He will spend considerable time with crew chief Pat Tryson going over the nuances that can nick a tenth-of-a-second off the stopwatch. In a sport where cars can go upward of 200 mph, it's all about tenths-of-seconds.

Martin stops in the garage and begins engaging in a casual conversation with driver Rusty Wallace, who is trying to ignore the pestering fan begging for an autograph.

"Hey, Rusty! Hey, Rusty!" the fan keeps saying.

Wallace turns toward the fan, though there will be no autograph for Annoying Man today.

"Can't you see I'm [expletive] talking racing here?" Wallace said.

The incident is humorously replayed in Martin's hauler moments later by a couple of crew guys. They also are preparing for a team-bonding experience, as a sky dive is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

The boss isn't overly thrilled.

"If you get killed," Martin warns Triplett, "I'm going to kill you."

While the crew boys take names for Saturday's plunge, Martin -- after qualifying Friday -- retires to the comfort of his motor coach. Triplett will cook a filet of tilapia for dinner, then leave Martin alone for the evening. Martin will skip a free concert by Trisha Yearwood in the motor home parking lot for NASCAR drivers and family.

"If it was Shania Twain, maybe," Martin said.

For Martin, the business transactions of Sunday are all that matter now.